Adult Magnapinna--such as this one filmed by an MBARI ROV in 2001 off Hawaii--range from 5 to 23 feet (1.5 to 7 meters) long, based on video evidence (no intact adult specimen has been captured, dead or alive).

By contrast, the largest known giant squid measured about 16 meters (52 feet) long.

About a dozen Magnapinna have been seen by deep-sea submersibles since 1988.